


Underneath the Satinalia Tree

by BeccaS8864



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Satinalia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-17 06:45:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13071330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaS8864/pseuds/BeccaS8864
Summary: Cullen and Allyson (Ally) are newlyweds and the Rutherford family has decided that Satinalia will be at Cullen and Ally's new house.This is basically a fluffy Satinalia story where each chapter tackles at least one prompt from coffin-prompts's Christmas prompt list. Should be a fun adventure for all involved.





	1. First Snow of the Season

**Author's Note:**

> The prompts can be found here: http://coffin-prompts.tumblr.com/post/168057394376/1st-day-of-christmas-prompt-list
> 
> This first chapter is pretty much just an intro to Cullen and Ally. Ally completely lacks description, done specifically so you all can imagine her however you want because I don't know if I will do more of this story beyond this Satinalia story. If I add more to it and make this a whole series of stories, that may change. But for now, I like her vague.

The sun shined brightly off the blanket of fresh snow that covered the ground. Ferelden’s first snow of the season had fallen overnight.

Ally, unprepared for the assault of brightness that blasted in through the window in beautiful beams, squinted her eyes against it. That, and the person tickling her one foot that stuck out from under the blankets.

“Wake up, sweetheart,” cooed a smooth tenor voice as the owner continued running one finger up and down the length of the underside of her foot.

Ally groaned in response and tried to pull her foot away to no avail. A gentle hand grasped her ankle lightly, holding her with just enough force to keep her foot within his reach.

Another line was traced up her foot. Heel to toe.

She groaned again in response. It was her first official day off for the holiday and she and her horse had hit training hard yesterday. She was a professional equestrian and Cullen was a master fencer, often called in by the film industry to choreograph swordplay scenes.

They had initially met at the World Summer Sports Games. Her trainer was Ferelden so she competed under the Ferelden banner instead of the Free Marches. He, himself, had a love of horses and had showed up to watch the equestrian solo finals after he had won gold in fencing, squarely beating some Nevarran guy in record time.

Ferelden had already taken home the gold medal for the team equestrian competition. She ended up as the bronze medalist but had been the youngest equestrian in the field that day. Some Ferelden noble’s son took the gold and some chevalier-descended Orlesian took silver.

Another line down. Toe to heel.

Giving up on any attempt at going back to sleep, Ally grabbed a pillow and threw it sharply towards the blonde man mercilessly teasing at her foot. Her untargeted shot hit true, the soft puff of pillow against body not quite satisfying in the wake of being roused from sleep at Maker-only-knew what time in the morning.

Flopping back down onto her pillow, she buried her face deep in the plush cushioning in a fruitless attempt to block outh both the sunlight and the ministrations of her husband. She heard him chuckle and grumbled her ill-amusement at the situation as his finger-tip slid up to her toes once again.

“Cullen, if you don’t stop, I swear,” she threatened out of the side of her mouth so the sound had a chance to escape the pillow. It was week, voice slightly hoarse from  hours of sleep.

“You’ll what,” he asked, fake innocence dancing in the words as his finger skated back to her heel.

This time, though, he didn’t change direction. He kept going higher. One finger turned into two, then three, before his whole hand skimmed up her bare leg. His weight shifted on the bed so he could further his reach.

With his fingers dancing on the upper edge of her panty line, she mumbled her non-existent rebuttal into the pillow. He called her bluff and she knew it. Several years together meant he knew well-enough that she was not inclined to move except to reach for her coffee.

“I have a coffee for you,” he said in a sing-song voice that grated on her just-woken nerves. Even with coffee involved, it was still too blighted early and it didn’t matter how much she loved him- he could go stuff it.  

“You morning people,” she whined as she sat up and pushed his hand away from her hips. The petulant action did nothing but increase his mirth and her irritation.

She could feel her hair sticking up in odd places as she scratched her head with one hand while covering a yawn with the other. Still smiling merrily, he leaned over and kissed her forehead before her yawn had even finished.

As promised, the blessed heat of coffee-filled ceramic graced her palm. She sighed in contentment at the coveted weight in her hand that had recently become nothing more than an extension of her arm.

“Us morning people,” he countered defiantly. Ally couldn’t help the smirk that twisted one corner of her mouth upwards as he beamed at her, brighter and more golden than even the sun beating its way into the room.

She sipped at the perfection that was the bitter, black liquid in her mug and sighed with contentment as it soothed her very grouchy, still half-asleep soul. A warning bell sounded at the back of her mind as the haze lifted. A call to caution. “Cullen?”

He hummed his reply as he busied himself once more with her panty line and this niggling sense of foreboding hit her. He wanted something. This wasn’t sweetness without strings.

Coffee in bed, soft morning touches, a forehead kiss that he knew was her favorite. No, this affection had so many strings she was in danger of outright turning into a puppet. “What do you want,” she asked, chancing a glance his way with that side-eye look she always gave him when he did stuff like this.

He tried to look completely offended at the suspicion ripe in her voice. It had been a solid effort on his part but he quickly cracked, smiling from ear to ear and melting her heart. Whatever it was he wanted, it was probably going to happen.

“It snowed,” he offered, smile growing slightly sheepish but he held firm.

“Your point,” she asked as she took another sip of her coffee. She knew what was coming. It had been this way every year since they had originally moved in and all she could do was hope that her coffee braced her enough for his inevitable plea.

Instead of answering, he inclined his head toward the window.

And there it was. As mature and wonderful as he was, his childhood love of the snow had never left him. He wanted to go play. Snowball fights. Snowmen. Sledding. The works. They had even built a house into a hill that wrapped around a large portion of the property specifically so he could sled when winter hit.

It was adorable and endearing. If only everyone could be so lucky as to retain an innocent love of something so intrinsic to Ferelden childhood. His nieces and nephews loved him for it.

“I’m a Marcher, Cullen. It’s cold,” she groused, gripping her coffee that much tighter in her hand and holding it against her chest as if it would help protect against the cold she could already feel seeping into her bones. She could only wish.

“Please,” he entreated, once more reaching for her. He sat down gently next to her and wrapped his strong arms around her, careful not to jostle the coffee she clutched like a lifeline- lest it spill on their brand new, clean off-white sheets.  

She sighed again, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s... cold,” Ally reiterated, slower this time, in hopes that would help drive her point home.

He just laughed at her, causing her to look up into his amber eyes with her disgust at the concept evident in her squinted eyes, crinkled nose, and frown. He only laughed harder, moving away from her so his quaking body wouldn’t spill the coffee. His guffawing turned into a full roar when he was finally clear of the danger of spilling it.

She laughed, too, as his abrupt departure from her side almost caused her to spill her coffee anyway, eyes growing wide as she tried to keep her life-blood from cresting over the side of the mug.

“No,” she said as firmly as she could while they both shook. Even to her own ears, her opposition to his request sounded weak at best.

Growing eerily silent, he looked at her with his head tipped to the side. Thinking; he was thinking and that was dangerous in this predicament. What was he thinking? Whatever it was it didn’t bode well for her.

He started uncovering her slowly. “What are you doing,” she tested, glee gone as she regarded him once more with skepticism.

“Getting you dressed,” he answered nonchalantly with a shrug,as if it had been the totally obvious answer. As he peeled back the covers she had cocooned around her, he pressed a gentle kiss to her stomach as the blankets fell away.

“You can’t force me to go outside,” she said, ignoring the feel of his lips against skin not touched except by a lover. A nervous chuckle bubbled up out of her.

He wouldn’t. If she truly said no, he would leave it but he’d be sad about it. She knew she would ultimately do it. She’d do it solely because she loved him and the joy it brought him was worth not being able to successfully defrost even hours after they came in.

“Either you put something on willingly or I throw you in the snow without your pants,” he replied, flirtation and mock-danger edging into his voice.

Ally squinted her eyes in defiance. “You. Wouldn’t. Dare,” she said firmly.

“Let us test your theory shall we,” he teased as he hooked one arm under her knees and wrapped the other around her back. Instinctively, Ally raised her cup of coffee above their heads.

“Cullen Stanton Rutherford, if you make me spill my coffee, I file for divorce,” she threatened. Her tone was fierce but the bark of laughter that burst out of him as his head flopped onto her chest, pillowed nicely on her crop top-covered breasts told her he didn’t buy it.

“Fine,” he managed to choke out through sobs of laughter. After composing himself, he added, “Come on. Let’s go. We have to beat the neighbor’s kids outside. I want to be the first to sled down the hill,” he added, removing himself from her personal space but placing a kiss to her forehead before he vacated it completely.

“That’s so rude. They’re kids,” she scolded as he stood up and walked over to their walk-in closet. She couldn’t help but watch him walk away, head tipped to the side as she enjoyed her view. His backside in blue jeans was a damned masterpiece. The long-sleeved shirt that clung to his muscular frame was just a bonus.

He shuffled to and fro on her side of the closet, grabbing what he knew was her sturdiest winter clothes. When he had located everything he needed for her, he deposited it carefully on the bed. Several years in the military was a tough habit to break. Everything he did was crisp, neat, and perfect. Laying clothes out for his wife was no exception.

She laughed at the array before her as he turned and walked out of their room, likely already heading for the closet in the mud room where they stashed all their snow pants in anticipation.

To the man’s credit, at least he had gone out of his way to ensure she stayed as warm as possible while out in the elements. Leave it to the Ferelden to know how to keep a Marcher from turning into a popsicle. _Maker, bless that beautiful man_ , she thought to herself as she sat there shaking her head as she chuckled.

He won.

By the time she was dressed in her snow pants, coat, earmuffs, hat, two layers of gloves, and _finally_ ready to go outside, she looked out the window to see him already up on their hill, with the neighbors’ two kids and several of their friends hot on his tail.

She set the coffee pot to brew automatically in a few hours as she ruminated on how happy he looked being chased around by a gaggle of kids. _Eventually_ , she thought with a wistful smile as she bounced out the backdoor to join them all.

***

Three.

Three bloody long, frigid hours later, Ally was able to slip inside.

Six.

Six kids’ faces alight with wind-pink cheeks laughing wildly as snowballs flew semi-violently through the air.

Nope.

That was where Ally drew the line. Sledding was one thing. Building a snowman or three was fun, even if she was now out of carrots and raisins (because no one just has lumps of coal lying around- no one). Eating a snowball was too much for a Marcher and six kids plus Cullen throwing them haphazardly was too much risk.

The kids were still outside playing with Cullen so Ally heated some milk on the stove to make hot chocolate for the kids and Cullen. While the milk and water were heating through, she added hot cocoa mix to her own mug before pouring the coffee over it.

She grabbed her phone off the counter and sent out a text to the group message she had going with all the mothers of the children as she dumped two large cans of chicken noodle soup into a pot and added it to the quickly filling range.

“Cullen has the kids occupied on the hill. We will thaw and feed them before we send them home. Enjoy the quiet and take a break! :),” she typed out in a hurry, slapping the send button with her thumb before she had a chance to do her usual double-check for spelling errors. The milk was done and she didn’t want it scalded.

Both she and Cullen enjoyed having those kids around. The children of everyone on their street congregated in their backyard because it had the most room to run. Before they bought the property and built their house, the area had been an open field the kids played in and they didn’t want to take that away from them simply because they lived there.

Yes, it was their property, but the kids weren’t hurting anyone and they were great kids. Well-mannered, always remembering to say, ‘please,’ and, ‘thank you,’ and they deserved a safe place to play where the parents knew where they were. The bonus for everyone was that they now lived there so the kids were always technically under adult supervision.

As she stood, stirring cup after cup, she chuckled while thinking about how it all started with their moose of a dog.

He was at the vet’s until tomorrow afternoon due to a complication with his most recent round of shots, but that ham of a dog had started it all as a chubby mabari puppy. He had still been learning to walk on a leash and had taken off on Cullen when he saw a small group of kids playing in a yard.

The kids endeared themselves to both Brutus and Cullen. Even the parents had come out to see what all the hubbub was. Now, they had all the parents numbers and often fielded phone calls as to whether or not the kids were with them when they mysteriously turned up missing from their own yards. They were always in their backyard.

Within the last six months or so, they even became impromptu babysitters before becoming the go-to babysitters. One of them was usually home and they always sent the kids home half asleep already, which the parents loved them for.

A chorus of dings sounded from her phone as the moms responded. Long gone were the days where the parents apologized for their kids intruding and Ally was thankful for it. Now, they just offered thanks for the break.

They always had enough food on-hand for such occasions and had a DVD stand that was designated for kids movies only. The kids were pretty well taken care of, especially when Brutus was around to help play maid when the kids spilled food on the tile floor of the kitchen or living room.

She smiled at how embraced they had been by the community. She chanced a look up from her serving tray where she had begun lining up mugs on saucers, spoons, napkins, and a bag of marshmallows for when the whipped cream had melted, and saw Cullen and the kids through the window above their

Apparently, the snowball fight had ended in her absence and now they were simply chasing each other. Cullen had the five-year-old twins hoisted up, one over each shoulder, and they were being chased by the four older kids.

The snow was up to Cullen’s mid-calf but it was knee high or more to some of the kids, so Cullen was careful to move somewhat slowly. He wanted the kids to be able to keep pace with him.

She threw her head back as she laughed at the sight. She grabbed her phone and started to record a short video to send out. The cackling of all seven was obscured by distance because they were a storey below her, but the merriment was evident nonetheless.

After sending it the video out to all the moms, she stirred the soup and walked into the formal dining room so she could reach the windows to call everyone in. Sliding the window open, she felt a cold burst of air as it dispelled the heat emanating from the vent beside her with ease.

She shivered against the bitterness and took a moment to catch her breath back before she yelled, “Cullen, kids! Come inside. I have hot chocolate and soup for you!”

Cullen stopped running to listen to her and the kids, who had gotten closer to him as he tired from also carrying two kids, slammed into his back in one massive pile-up. The last little boy in the line hit the kid in front of him with so much force he fell backwards.

Everyone guffawed when they turned around and saw little Caleb flopping on the ground, half covered in snow, like a fish out of water. Cullen sent her a ‘thumbs up’ signal after he set the twins down and she went back to her prep.

Making a loop out of it, she walked into the living room and turned on the fireplace and padded back into the kitchen. She knew Cullen would have their winter coats hung on the racks; shows on the shoe-shelves; and their gloves, scarves, and hats into the dryer before they even made it up the stairs to the main floor.

To the cocoa, she added a layer of marshmallows before piling on the whipped cream and adding a candy cane. It would take Cullen some time to get the kids stripped of their protective clothing and get the drying process started and she didn’t want the whipped topping to melt too soon, hence the marshmallow bed.

It was a trick her mother had taught her as a little girl and one of the few things she had to remember her by. She had died when Ally was only 12. Too soon to gather much of her motherly wisdom but just enough time with her to remember certain things like how to prevent whipped cream from melting too quickly.

She grabbed TV trays and sat them around the sofa, turned the TV over the fireplace on, and queued up a string of holiday movies. As the opening song from ‘How the Grinch Stole Satinalia’ began, a thunderous chorus of excitedly stomping children began to ascend the stairs.

Each of them grabbed a bowl of soup and they piled onto the long sectional sofa, with Cullen leading the pack. She stood and watched as the kids and her husband attempted to not burn their mouths as they slurped on the soup.

Their noses and cheeks were all red from the bite of winter winds, hair wet (and Cullen’s starting to curl, having broken loose of its carefully crafted style) as the snow began to melt from the warming glow of the fire, and all transfixed on the classic Satinalia cartoon on the massive flatscreen.

She stood back and watched them all. A tender grin pulled at her lips when her eyes settled on Cullen. He’d be a fine father one day.


	2. The Siblings Descend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen's siblings arrive for the festivities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Went without a beta read this time since we are so close to the holidays. I didn’t want to take anyone away from their own projects and such. So, hopefully this doesn’t suck monkeys. *crosses fingers*

Ally was on a Skype call with Cullen’s older sister, Mia, when the front door kicked opened abruptly. The resulting crash reverberated through the open expanse of the foyer and living room.

Brutus, lazy as ever and as much a guard dog as a newborn kitten, merely looked up from where he was sprawled on the multi-hued brown rug in front of the blazing fireplace in the living room. 

Ally, who had been sitting at one of the ornate chairs in the formal dining room, jumped out of her seat and shrieked as she startled with the clatter. Mia’s worried questions were muffled by the ruffling sounds and scratching of pine branches meeting tile flooring and a solid oak door and frame. 

The top four feet of the tree were already through the door. Cullen, however, had gotten a rather wide tree and appeared to be somewhat stuck in his attempt to force the remaining half of tree into the house. 

Ally let out an unladylike snort at the comedy unfolding before her as she turned her attentions back to Mia. Grinning widely, she said “Hey, Mia, Cullen’s home with the tree and it looks like he might need help-”

“Issues, big bro,” quizzed a teasing and chipper voice from somewhere outside, and only audible because Cullen had taken a moment to breathe so the tree-related noise had momentarily halted.

“Apparently Rosie just got here as well. Once I get the tree and your siblings inside, I can give you a call and we can finish up plans. Sound like a deal,” she asked, continued on. More scuffling muted her question enough that Mia was laughing where she stood at her kitchen counter. 

“It’s a date,” Mia confirmed. “I’ll talk to you later, Ally.” The video feed cut off before Ally could utter a goodbye and Ally turned to where two blonde, curly haired individuals were visible ducking in and out of sight at the front door trying, rather unsuccessfully, to wrangle the unruly fir tree into the foyer. 

“Hey, guys. Having issues,” Ally ribbed at the two Rutherfords from her semi-comfortable spot leaning gracefully on the railing that prevented passers-by from falling down the basement stairs. 

“I will get this tree in if it’s the last thing I do,” Cullen bellowed in frustration either with the tree or himself. Possibly both, given that there was an admitted allure to having a full-bodied Satinalia tree that Cullen couldn’t ever seem to ignore.

His self-control was impressively unwavering in just about any other situation. Picking a tree for the holidays seemed to be the only time he ever caved to his whims. Usually, though, he was a better judge of overall width and they didn’t struggle to get the tree through the door. But, then, they also usually went to Mia’s for Satinalia. 

Cullen’s penchant for picking out the perfect tree was not the worst problem to have, granted, and watching him fight with this tree was in the process of shaping up to be high-quality entertainment indeed. 

Unfortunately, though, that entertainment was endangering the oak doorway that was less than four months old. Hence why the family would be descending upon Ally and Cullen this year. They now had the largest house with enough bedrooms to accommodate everyone easily, so long as the two youngest could sleep with their respective parents or, in the case of Mia’s youngest, with the older siblings.

That danger to the front door couldn’t be ignored though. Ally needed to intervene before Cullen broke the door or, worse yet, himself. The last thing he needed was an injury when the next month would bring with it a new movie for him to choreograph swordplay and train actors for. 

“Cullen,” she questioned, trying to get his attention to no avail. Rosie was too busy chortling, nearly doubled over as she clutched at her ribs, to actually be of any assistance to her eldest brother. It seemed she had given up only a minute or so into the debacle. 

“Cullen,” she tried again, a little firmer than before. Still, no luck. She could be dancing seductively in front of him, nearly bare to the world in nothing more than a see-through lingerie set, and he would still be solely focused on getting the tree into the house. 

Sometimes that focus was a blessing. Right now it was bordering on cursed. 

“CULLEN!”

Only then did he look up. His cheeks were flushed, likely from cold, exertion, and feeling a little sheepish at having not heard her. He knew she wasn’t one to raise her voice, normally preferring to keep her voice on the quieter side. A life of being around skittish show horses had taught her that calm, cool, and collected was generally the way to go. If she was yelling, it was because she had tried, and subsequently failed, more than once to get his attention.

She had to stop and join Rosalie’s cackling because of how he looked at her. He was adorable. He looked much younger than his thirty years when he looked embarrassed. 

Rosie, by then, had completely given up the fight to remain standing and now sat on her knees, shaking helplessly with how hard she was struggling to breathe through her laughter. She would be cold in a minute. The snow was probably already melting and absorbing into her blue jeans.

“Rosie, go around the side. The kitchen door is unlocked and I’ll need your help pulling from this side,” she directed. 

“Okay,” the youngest Rutherford wheezed as she stood up, desperately fighting off hysterics. She stumbled as she pranced through the small drifts of snow as she turned the corner, visible to Ally through the window and open door of the bathroom next to stairs.

“Cullen, just sit tight a moment. We’ll see if we can do this without ruining our front door.”

Cullen grumbled a response before raising his hand to the back of his neck and rubbing at a knot. He looked back at her with a much different expression than the previous. Embarrassment a long-forgotten emotion, replaced by a devilishly handsome smirk that had Ally biting her lower lip in return. 

Even with Cullen looking at her like that, she knew he was growing increasingly frustrated while waiting on Rosie to come help.  

His favorite part of the holiday was decorating the tree and this hold-up was still standing in the way of that beloved task. He’d had the boxes stacked along the wall by the spiral staircase that led upstairs for two days already. 

The man was chomping at the bit more than her Amaranthine Charger did when he  knew it was show time. Cullen’s eagerness was endearing, though. It was a lingering innocence from childhood and the world would be a better place if more adults remembered how to take joy in such little things. 

As Rosie padded in, she took up position on the right side of the tree and Ally took the left side. Together, they began folding branches down so as to more easily maneuver it through the door. 

“Alright, Cullen. Push,” Ally said. 

Working together, it still took them another couple minutes to find a steady rhythm. Once they settled in, it took only a few minutes to get the rest of the tree and Cullen into the house. Then, it was just a matter of maneuvering around the stairs to the basement and getting the tree upright.

They put it in the front window, just a few feet from the door, because Cullen wanted it visible from the street and that particular corner had windows on both sides. The bonus was that placement happened to allow the most room for all of the adults and kids to gather around for Satinalia morning.

 

***

 

As the late evening set in, Ally opened up the laptop to return to her Skype call with Mia. She sent out a text to Mia saying she was ready to resume their chat once she was able to get the kids to bed, and then she waited. 

Rosie ambled in, already somewhat intoxicated because that was the lifestyle of a twenty one years old University Junior who no longer had the dark cloud of exams hanging over their head. She sat down next to Ally and pulled her chair up close. 

The smell of chocolate and peppermint whafted toward Ally, closely followed by the after-smell of alcohol. “Hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps?”

“Absolutely! I’ve been looking forward to this all day,” Rosie replied with an impish smile. “Exams are done as of yesterday. I had breakfast with my roommate way too-bloody-early this morning and then drove five hours to get here. Time to celebrate.”

Ally shook her head with an amused smile pulling at her lips. She remembered those days fondly, though she didn’t get to go to a typical school. She had tutors that traveled the show circuit with her as she chased that World Games gold medal that  _ still  _ managed to elude her. 

At the World Games this past summer, she had taken silver in the solo events. Team Ferelden still took home the gold, unseating  _ Mr. Fancy Pants Orlais  _ in his home country, no less. His horse had knocked down a pole in the jumping arena during the speed round for the riders who had gone all-clear on the original course, dropping him off the podium entirely. 

Regardless, she understood how hectic exams were. That was no different with tutors teaching instead of professors. She could appreciate the finally-legal gift of indulging in a booze-fest after the deluge of late-night cram sessions, obnoxious testing, and the full spectrum of emotions felt during that chaotic time. However, she had been forced to being careful with it. Family history made alcohol a dangerous slope to tread.

Pulling her from her memories, Rosie chimed in. “When is Mia calling?” 

No sooner did the words roll off her mildly-slurring tongue, did the screen light up blue, signalling an incoming Video call. When they clicked the little green ‘accept’ button, Branson and Mia both smiled brightly back at them when the video call connected. 

“Rosie! You made it--” Rosie sent out a mock-salute in reply-- “You could have called, you know,” chastised Mia from the family farmhouse in South Reach. 

“In my defense, we had to help Cullen with the tree,” she replied, a hint of petulance slipping in but with the previous slight slur of alcohol completely absent. Ally had to bite back a chuckle that threatened to spill out. 

She couldn’t blame Rosie. Mia could be intimidating even without trying to be. Nothing is more sobering than having someone like Mia breathing down your neck about anything. If she’d been in Rosie’s position, she’d have made sure to enunciate perfectly as well. 

“That is true,” Ally affirmed. When Mia’s eyes shifted to her, she rotated the computer to show Cullen, still trying to perfect the ornament placement on the monstrous tree. “He was stuck in the doorway as Rosie pulled up.”

“I was not,” lied Cullen from the foyer. 

“Yes, you were,” Ally and Rosie yelled back in unison. 

“Oh, sweet merciful Andraste,” Bran said through his uproarious laughter, “there’s two of them.” 

All four of them descended into a bout of snickering as Cullen continued meticulously arranging and rearranging ornaments, simply shaking his head at the two women sitting at the long dinner table in the formal dining room. 

“Okay, so... “ Ally prompted, being the first to recover.

“So, Branson and I will pack up the kids into my van and his SUV and leave in the morning… probably nine AM? Ten? Something like that. I’ll call before we pull out of the driveway. It’ll probably take us between three and four hours to get there, because I’m sure at least one of the kids will have to stop for the bathroom, followed by another who wants to stop a half hour later, despite swearing they didn’t have to go when we stopped before,” Mia said in reply, pen skittering over the planner that rarely left her side. 

“Now, Secret Santa,” she continued. 

“Maker’s breath,” Cullen yelped, followed shortly by the sound of shattering glass and Brutus’s nails on floor as he trotted away, faking innocence. “Ally, get your dog!” 

“Come here, Brute,” Ally said, getting up and pointing to the dog bed they had placed under the window at the foot of the lounger area of the sectional sofa. He hung his head and whined in shame but listened to his partner, flopping down with a low groan that made Ally chuckle 

Once Brutus was squared away, Ally walked over to Cullen and pulled his arm. “Okay, you’re not allowed to touch the tree anymore. It’s fine as it is.”

Cullen opened his mouth to argue but Ally lifted her finger to his lips to shush him. “Shh….Come sit with us and talk to your siblings. The tree is fine. I promise,” she said quietly.

They made their way back to the dining room and Cullen sat in the chair Ally had been sitting in. Ally took her place, sitting on his lap so they could all three be visible to Mia and Bran. 

“Cullen,” Branson said with a smile and small nod of his head that Cullen returned.

“So, Secret Santa,” Mia said again, the edge of irritation creeping into her voice. The woman hated a good planning session being interrupted. “Since we will be there tomorrow, I thought we could all draw names and then day-trip to Redcliffe the next day. That gives the kids a chance to get settled before being moved again and for everyone to get an idea of what they are looking for.”

“I’m sorry for anyone who gets me as a Secret Santa. You will absolutely be getting alcohol.” Rosie snickered as she finished speaking. 

Cullen picked up her peppermint schnapps hot cocoa concoction and moved it to his other side. “That’s enough for you,” he teased. 

“Alright, that’s settled,” Ally said in deflection. “Mia, while everyone is scattered, you want to come with me to the grocery store to pick up stuff for Satinalia dinner?” Ally knew that would perk up the oldest sibling. 

“Absolutely,” Mia shrieked in glee as though that offer could have been the perfect Satinalia gift for her. 

“See you tomorrow, then” Cullen asked.

“See you tomorrow!” Mia said at the same time Branson replied with a hearty, “yup.”

The screen cut to black momentarily before the call screen disappeared entirely and Ally closed the laptop with a soft click.

“Christmas movies,” Cullen asked with a smile. 

“Race ya,” Rosie yelled as she sprinted to the couch, leaving her hot cocoa with Cullen, who took a sip. 

His face scrunched up in disgust at the taste. “Strong,” Ally asked with a giggle. She couldn’t help it. The way his eyebrows pinched together, his eyes squeezed shut, and the scarred side of his lip pulled up as he shook his head was too adorable for words. 

“That… that is… way more schnapps than cocoa,” he coughed, garnering more laughter from his wife. 

“Don’t judge me,” Rosie called from where she was draped over the arm of the sofa, lazily flipping through the Christmas movie selection on Netflix. 

 

***

 

Mia; her husband, Ryan; Branson; and all the kids showed up in the early afternoon, true to Mia’s assessment. The woman had a gift. If not a gift, then she certainly had motherhood down to a science. 

The guests and their luggage were promptly shown to their rooms by Cullen and Rosalie while Ally put trays of finger foods out on the long formal dining room table so people could snack at their leisure. While everyone settled she also called in a small catering order for a variety of sandwiches at the local shop for dinner. 

The rest of the afternoon passed by in a whir of bright colored clothing and fir as the two older children zipped through the house with Brutus chasing after them. Branson’s toddler waddled behind them as fast as he could but was never quite able to catch them until he eventually gave up. 

Mia’s 9-year-old, James, and 7-year-old, Liz, explored everything, but the basement mudroom that opened up to the backyard, a full storey below the yard out front, was their favorite. It held the washer and dryer, but also had many a cubby hole along the wall where Brutus had toys stashed and Cullen and Ally had summer outdoor activities hidden away. 

Eventually, when exploring had worn out it’s enjoyment, they occupied themselves with several board games from the long wall by the stairs in the basement. They fought over the rules of Monopoly and Scrabble, causing an amused, if mildly annoyed, Ryan to play referee before they ultimately ended up playing Go Fish with a deck of standard playing cards. 

Mia’s toddler, Zanny (short for Alexandria), kept close to Ally as she milled about the kitchen with Mia and Rosie. Branson’s quiet little boy, Drew, explored on his own with Branson and Cullen close behind because, unlike the older kids, he was more inclined to simply make a mess. Quiet apparently didn’t equate to not being ornery. The thought had Cullen thoroughly amused. 

He took great joy out of having kids to chase after and play with. Always had. It was one of the things Ally loved about him. Finding a guy who was so inclined to dote on children seemed to be a growing rarity and she knew full-well that she had gotten lucky with him.

Drew and Zanny tuckered out early after their peanut butter and jelly sandwich early dinners and fell asleep with Brutus by the fire while Cullen and Branson watched some sports game on the TV. The traveling and explorations had been too much for the youngest kids since they were passed out before seven PM.

Mia and Rosie were sipping on some Satinalia Sangria Ally had made in preparation for their arrival, while Ally sat back with a mocktail. Idle chatter filtered through small bouts of silence as they all enjoyed their drinks and the company. 

When Branson, Ryan, and Cullen left to pick up the sandwiches, though, Rosie and Mia pounced on the opportunity for girl-talk. The moment the front door closed, A Satinalia Story was put on for the older kids and the air shifted from an airy lightness to an intensity that was nearly stifling for Ally. 

Mia’s eyes turned nearly predatory and Rosie matched it with a palpable excitement, causing Ally’s breath the leave her momentarily. This was terrifying new ground.

Even when she and Cullen were planning their small wedding, they hadn’t turned on her like they had at present and worry pounced on Ally. What happened to change the dynamic? Had she said something? Done something? Oh, Maker, had she offended one of them?

“So, I couldn’t help but notice you aren’t drinking your delicious sangria,” Mia teased, her eyes were still suspiciously dangerous but her tone practically danced through the air. 

“You haven’t had anything alcoholic since I’ve been here, either,” noted Rosalie in a voice that tinkled like bell chimes. 

“Oh, that? You guys had me worried for a sec. Don’t do that. I thought I was in trouble,” ally said with a nervous giggle. Initial shock and concern starting to fade away. If that was all they wanted to speculate on, it would be an easy conversation.

“Alcoholism runs strongly in my family, so I typically don’t drink much,” she explained easily. “Cullen will drink a glass of wine or some whiskey every now and again but mostly just sticks to a beer or two on major sports days. We mostly just have alcohol in the house for entertaining purposes,” Ally replied with a laugh, waving her hand dismissively. 

“Oh. That’s no fun,” Mia said at the same time Rosie muttered a dejected, “boooo.” 

Ally was surprised to hear them sound so crestfallen over an explanation like that. What had they been expecting? 

“We thought maybe you might have a Satinalia surprise for Cullen… like a pregnancy or something,” Rosie added, not bothering to hide the disappointment she and Mia clearly both felt.

“Aww,” Ally said with a beaming smile. 

Growing up, she had been an only child and Cullen’s siblings embracing her so fully had been her first real experience with what it was like to have brothers and sisters. The fact that they had put so much thought into a conspiracy theory so grand as a potential pregnancy announcement scheme was endearing to her. 

She felt their love of her deep in her own heart, and loved them as much in return. She knew going into her marriage with Cullen that his family was wonderful and caring. She just hadn’t expected to be so tightly and thoroughly embraced when they hadn’t spent a whole lot of time together in the grand scheme of things. 

For the most part, she was either training at the barn or riding the show circuit. Rosie had school and Mia and Bran ran the family farm, which had been growing substantially in the last few years. Everyone was always too busy but they always found time to talk. Even when planning the wedding, she had been kept pretty busy, relying on Mia and Rosie to help guide her through it.

“I love you guys,” Ally continued, realizing she had been silent for a fraction too long. “It’s nothing as elaborate as that. I just don’t normally drink, even in social settings. Besides, I’ve been a touch queasy yesterday and today and there is a nasty flu bug going around the barn. If I managed to catch it while I was there the other day, symptoms would be showing up about now and the last thing I want is to be vomiting booze for no good reason.”

“Ew,” said Rosie, crinkling her nose in disgust at the thought and scooting her chair away from Ally, making both Ally and Mia burst into laughter as her chair screeched across the tile flooring.

“We love you, too,” Mia said back, reaching for Ally’s hand with one of her own. Ally took it willingly and gave her hand a small squeeze, excitement at already having such a close bond with Cullen’s family evident in her toothy smile the sprawled from ear to ear.

“Oh, Maker, you’re brave,” Rosie said, making a show of covering her mouth with her oversized printed tee shirt to prevent the accidental intake of potentially-contaminated Ally germs.  

“I have kids. That builds your immune system quickly,” Mia quipped. “You wouldn’t imagine the germs that come home from school with them.”

“Ally, I’m moving into the basement. I’m never going back to the farm again,” Rosie teased. Mia swatted at her playfully and Ally just chuckled at the display for a moment.

“You’re more than welcome to move in but I should warn you that my second home is a barn and it’s pretty germy there, too… and smelly,” Ally said, shaking her head. 

“Is nothing safe anymore,” Rosie yelled dramatically, raising the back of her hand to her forehead and dropping her head back before slipping back into laughter. Mia and Ally joined her mirth, all chuckling wildly.

Not too long after the giggle fit from Rosie’s outburst subsided, Branson, Ryan, and Cullen returned home with the sandwiches. Everyone ate quietly while they watched the standard cartoon Satinalia movies. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Frosty the Snowman all had a turn, much to the kids’ delight.

Mia’s oldest kids went to bed shortly after and the adults drew their Secret Santa names, only redoing it twice after Rosie grabbed her own name the first time and Cullen grabbed his the second.

Rosie had been more than thrilled at the prospect of buying herself some alcohol but was outvoted by four naysayers. When they were done, they planned out their trip to Redcliffe the next morning.

The small town of Haven had its own shopping centers and was only a ten-minute drive away, but Redcliffe always went above and beyond in their Satinalia decorations. It was the far more festive option and would have more stuff to occupy the kids while the rest of them scattered to look for their Secret Santa gifts. Then, the next day would be Satinalia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think about the Rutherford sibs! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!! :)  
> ~Becca


End file.
